The breakout indie documentary “King Corn” is being broadcast tonight and for the rest of the week on PBS’s Independent Lens series. Even if you’ve memorized “The Omnivore’s Dilemma” and think you know all there is to know about how corn has made us its slave, you’ll still be amused and informed by the film.

Among the dizzying number of Things to Do while at Disney is to visit Epcot Center’s Innoventions plaza. To children, Innoventions looks like a wing at a science museum. To a slightly more cynical eye, it looks a bit like a huge exhibition hall filled with the best marketing efforts of companies like Waste Management, Liberty Mutual, IBM, and the Society of Plastics. One such exhibit, The Great American Farm, is proudly sponsored by the Farm Bureau, and designed to help Americans think more about the connection between agriculture and the food on the table — an admirable, Ethicurean-friendly goal, to be sure.

Thanks to reader Henry for alerting us to the recent appearance of "King Corn" filmmakers Curt Ellis and Ian Cheney on "Good Morning America" with Diane Sawyer. The 5-minute segment was a good summary of the movie’s major points, particularly corn’s role in American obesity, and also included some facts sure to open a few […]

Editorials and op-eds about sustainable agriculture (or its opposite) from newspapers and websites big and small.

A recurring theme of last fall’s Kaw Valley Farm Tour was the terrible, killing freeze of the preceding spring. Now, scientists are suggesting that climate change may mean more of the same, and that’s bad news for local food in places with four seasons, a.k.a. most of the country.
The March issue of BioScience magazine includes […]

Cocina Poblano. Regional Mexican cuisine complete with a live tortilla bar and a wide selection of high-end tequilas comes to Jack London Square. 499 Embarcadero West (at Washington), Oakland; (510) 451-4700. Lunch, dinner daily; weekend brunch.
—San Francisco Chronicle

I don’t have the budget or time to travel the world seeking dining adventures like Tom Parker Bowles […]

Life is full of compromises, particularly if you have a kindergartener living in the house. On a recent stormy weekend, I made the grand announcement that I was going to read all weekend long and that it was everybody’s job to take care of me. That plan lasted about ten minutes. My […]

At a meeting of the South Dakota Corn Growers Association on January 5, 2008, Acting Secretary of Agriculture Chuck Conner had much to say about the current state of corn and renewable fuels. After extolling our nation’s glorious efforts in making ethanol from corn, Conner commented:

Our growing appetite for renewable fuels and the standards […]

In-depth, offbeat, or thought-provoking features about aspects of SOLE food, from eating locally to farms marketing to methods of food preservation.

It’s cold, gray, and raining buckets here in Northern California, causing me to feel distinctly snacky. Problem is, the SOLE food lifestyle doesn’t really support the quick, salty, fatty comfort food like I crave right now. I eyed a persimmon – too healthy. A couple of walnuts failed to satisfy. Then, while digging through the […]

In-depth, offbeat, or thought-provoking features about aspects of SOLE food, from eating locally to farms marketing to methods of food preservation.

In my last post, I took a lengthy look at the role that farmers play in the livestock production system. In case you didn’t make it that far, here’s my conclusion: In their role as feed-growers and animal-raisers, farmers are an important but virtually powerless piece of the system. Wedged between big companies selling them […]

Posts by bloggers at both personal and nonprofit sites that you won’t want to miss.

2007 is shaping up to be the Year of the Ear.
Check out this corny segment from our acquaintances on Your Environmental Road Trip (YERT), who took a highly entertaining detour into Iowa’s maze of maize.

In-depth, offbeat, or thought-provoking features about aspects of SOLE food, from eating locally to farms marketing to methods of food preservation.